Day by Day
by P. Fishies
Summary: I mean... sure, I'm in love with him. But what am I supposed to do about it? MayuxHatori Moments. Now complete
1. Over the Phone

**Dislcaimer:** I DO NOT own Fruits Basket.

**A/N: **I just thought I'd try something like this. Tell me what you guys think!

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Over the Phone

"I finally understand what you must go through, Haa-san," I said into Ayame Sohma's cell phone. I heard another shout of praise from inside my office, and I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, my cousin is quite a story, isn't he?" Hatori asked. It was nice to hear him being so friendly with me.

"Indeed." I sighed, moving a little farther from the door. Those students were being incredibly loud. "It was a nice moment, though. When Yuki called Ayame reliable."

"It's nice to see the two of them finally realizing how much they need each other," Hatori agreed. "Well... probably not so much right now..."

I giggled. "Not really."

"He hasn't destroyed your office, has he?"

"I wouldn't know even if he did."

"Well, watch yourself around him. He can be quite perverse sometimes..."

I caughed, but tried not to make it sound like my breath had been caught in my throat. Was he worrying over me? "I suppose I should go take back my office now."

"I should be going as well," Hatori said. "I never really know what kind of work I have to do until it is mandatory that I do it."

I smiled, wondering what type of trouble his patients were getting into. "Hey, take care of yourself, ok, Haa-san? Don't get too tense with that job of yours."

I heard him let out a small 'hmm'. "I'll talk to you later, Mayuko-chan."

I hung up, a little dissapointed. He hadn't called me Mayu, like he used to. Although, I wouldn't blame him. It had been two years, and the last time he called me by that name, I had told him that it was bold. Knowing Hatori, he'd take it too harshly and watch his words around me.

Stupid, stupid, stupid...


	2. It's Instinct

**A/N:** Sorry that these chapter are short. I thought mini-stories would describe it, but I should have said little moments. Oh well. I edited it. Read and review (I guess)!

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It's Instinct

I've never been in a war before. I've never lived in a lifetime where our country was at war. There's the Cold War, but we, being Japan, didn't do anything for the duration of that. And, besides, all the tension was on China and the USSR. AND, above all that, I was only ten years old when it ended, so I didn't really know anything about it at all. So I'm really not at all familiar with the topic of war.

Yet the other day, I found myself engulfed in a conversation of war. The Iraq war, or the War on Terrorism that the US went insane about. Our government isn't too happy about that, but I never gave a damn about Politics anyway. I must've mentioned something, though, when Hatori and I were talking over the phone. I had been watching the news, and I mentioned what was going on in the US.

"They're thinking about drafting women," I said, taking a sip of my coffee. It was late at night, and I had work to be done. I needed to stay awake.

"Really?" Hatori asked, sounding interested. "Why would they do that?"

"Because of the whole equality for everyone thing," I explained. "They're saying that if women want equality like men, then they're going to be treated a little more like men. AKA: if it comes to it, they're going to draft women as well as men."

"Hm." I could almost hear Hatori frown. "I don't like it."

I shrugged. "I think it's equal. If I were to be drafted, I'd hold my head high and go do my duty."

Hatori sighed. I pictured him pinching the bridge of his nose. "I know you would..." For some reason, I found that comment extremely flattering. "But it still makes me uncomfortable."

"Why?" I asked, sounding a little too harsh. "Think we can't do just as good a job?"

I honestly thought I heard a chuckle. "No, no, nothing like that. I have no doubt in my mind that you would probably save my ass more times than I would save yours, Mayuko-chan."

I threw back my head and laughed. "Haa-san, what are you talking about? You're the doctor!"

"Yes... there's that. I was really hoping that he was smiling. "But think about it... I'm a doctor, working in a tent full of the wounded, dying, and dead all the time. I have no idea who's on the battlefield, or who's newly injured, or what's happening."

I was silent for a minute. "Good point. I have to admit that seeing women seriously wounded would do more damage rather than seeing a man..." I cleared my throat. "Sorry. I don't mean to sound sexist."

"No, you're right," Hatori said. "See... I think there would be a lot more wounded and dead if women were drafted. Because, number 1, women aren't as adapted to the front line as men are."

"Yep."

"Number two... you know how, when men are ordered to do something, they MUST do it? Without hesitation or anything?"

"Uh huh."

"Well... if I were ordered to retreat from an attack and I saw a random women lying injured on the ground, I'd hesitate. And I'm pretty sure that a lot of other men would hesitate also."

I stopped breathing for a second. "But why? We're just like you."

"It's instinct," Hatori replied easily. "Males have had it in their systems that a female needs to be protected. It's been that way since we were animals. Simple as that."

I couldn't say anything. "Hm."

"And besides," Hatori went on. "You're my friend." My heart skipped a beat. "Not only that, but you're the best friend of Kana." I had to keep myself from grabbing a knife and stabbing my sinking heart. "And it just wouldn't feel right, knowing that you were in constant danger... never knowing if you died in action or became a prisoner of war, or... something of that sort." I heard him clear his throat.

"Well..." I tried. "I guess if I was a nurse and you were a soldier, I'd be scared shitless about you too."

He laughed. Honest to god. By the sounds of it, he probably threw back his head too. I smiled, proud of myself. Well... I was proud and I just liked his laugh.

"I should go before Akito-san gets angry," Hatori said. "I'll talk to you later, ok, Mayuko-chan?"

"Uh huh," I said, yawning. "Good-night, Haa-san."

"... Good-night."

When I hung up the phone that night, I couldn't get his voice out of my head. He had said goodnight to me so softly... it was almost as if he was right beside me when he had said it.

Damn that man...


	3. SOS

Chapter 1

I wish I had an SOS signal. Not for seriously saving my ship or whatever. Just for some ordianry stuff. Like... if I have to clean the house, I'd tap SOS on my house wall, and, out of nowhere, Superman crashes through my roof! Of course he fixes it and all, along with cleaning the house, because he's a superhero.

Or say, perhaps, that my ex gets into a fight with his new girlfriend, and comes crying back to me, asking for advice. I'd tap SOS on my computer screen and, suddenly, his computer is attacked with a virus that police had been trying to catch for years. So not only does his computer crash, but he is framed for the virus. Ha. Yeah, that would be cool.

Or, lets say that my dog just died. Now, I don't have a dog, but if I did, and loved it very much, and it died... what would I do? I'd tap SOS, of course! And there would sit my dog, upon my lap, barking like the mangy mutt that he is. Or... used to be before I ressurected him.

Or, for the even more serious stuff (my imaginary dog dying isn't serious enough), I'd tap SOS. Like... oh, I don't know... unrequitted love. Yes, I said unrequitted love. That would be awesome. Especially because I think of him way too much.

I mean, I could use SOS for everything! Like... a magic wand! Whenever something bad happened, I'd tap SOS. Whenever something depressing happened, I'd tap SOS. Whenever I have a headache, I'd tap SOS. And WA-LAH! My troubles would be gone! No more house chores. No more ex-lovers getting on my nerves. No more imaginary dogs dying. And, best of all, no more unrequitted love.

Yeah... that would be great...

But then, I suppose, even that would get bothersome. I mean... perhaps Superman wouldn't want to clean my toilet, or my neighbor would not want my imaginary dog back, or my ex-lover would not want to be framed and arrested with a broekn down computer (but who gives a damn about him anyway). The one thing that I seriously consider is unrequitted love. I mean, yes it would be cool to tap SOS on his arm or something and have him turn around and kiss me... but I don't want him loving me if it's fake. That would not be so great.

He deserves more than that crap. I mean... I'm his _friend_. I shouldn't be thinking like this. He had to deal with losing the love of his life and, no matter how many times I daydream, I will never be that special person to him. I may try to be like her, but let's face it... if he asked me what snow became after it melted, I would respond water. Who wouldn't? Well, besides her... See, I would never respond with Spring as an asnwer because I'm not... her. Sometimes I wish I was, though...

This is stupid. The things I wish for, I mean. Not only the super power SOS thing, but just everything. All the things I want. That was her life. _He_ was her life. I'm not her, nor do I have her life. I have my own, and it's not that horrible, really.

_This_ is my life. And I like it. I really, really do.

So why do I still want hers so badly?


	4. Sick

**A/N:** 38 degrees Celsius is about 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

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Being Sick

You know what the worst part about being sick is? The way you have to blow your nose every 30 seconds.

I was supposed to go out to the movies with my girlfriends tonight. Hell, I was supposed to go to school yesterday. But when I awoke with a splitting headache, overflowing nose, and aching muscles, I supposed it would be a good idea to take my temperature. Once I did that, I guessed that I should stay home. Because that's what people with a fever of 38.3 degrees Celsius normally did, right?

So once I was sick with a horrid cold, I had to call for a substitute (which I'm sure my students had _so_ much fun with), and had to cancel all of my plans.

I was supposed to have fun this weekend. Day of school and diner with a-normally-out-of-town-but-was-currently-in-town friend on Friday. Then lunch and movies with girlfriends today/Saturday. And the best part was supposed to be a day home on Sunday, full of relaxing music, funny home-owned DVDs, and eating my XL/8 ounce (8 ounce!) Hershey Chocolate bar. I had been saving it for a special occassion, and, although I'm still going to eat it, the original intention was to NOT be miserable when I ate it.

So there I sat, in my appartment, surfing channels on TV at two in the morning because I was unable to sleep. I took a sip of my Diet Coke, sneezed, groaned, then blew my nose for approximately the millionth time that day. There was some old Western movie on, and, knowing that there was nothing better to watch, I let the remote control sit on my lap for a while.

The one guy in the film reminded me of Hatori. He was a doctor, of course, but he was so quiet. I thought he was a wuss until one of his buddies was shot. Then he sort of turned evil and shot three out of four bad guys down with a shotgun. It was pretty cool. The actor had the strangest eyes. They were such a pale shade of blue-green that they looked fake. I was mesmerized as I watched the doctor bandage up his wounded friend.

"Thanks, Al," the injured cowboy said with a grunt. He gave a strained smile. "You always manage to come through."

I sneezed.

"You're just lucky I don't shoot you myself," Al, the doctor, replied, giving his friend a pat on the arm. "You need to watch your back, John," he added as he stood and brushed off his pants. "I mean it."

I grimaced at the amount of mucus in the tissue I had used seconds before.

John waved it away, rested his back against a nearby wall, and sighed. "Hand me a beer, will you?"

I rolled my eyes. Men. A bullet to the leg, and all they want is a cold one. Then again, if I was shot in the leg AND being tended to by an incredibly gorgeous doctor, I'd want a beer to bring me back to life as well.

Sneeze. Groan. Blow nose. Groan.

The phone rang, and I looked at it, puzzled. Who in God's name would be calling me at this time of night? After four rings, I picked it up. "Hello?"

"Mayuko-chan?" I recognized the voice almost instantly, and snapped to attention. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

I was about to ask him the same question, but instead I sneezed. I let out a frustrated "ugh!", hit the arm of the sofa I was sitting on, then turned back to the phone. "I'm sick. It's just a nasty cold." I sneezed again, the mucus that I hadn't blown out before now flying onto the sleeve of my jacket. I let out a moan. He asked me exactly what was wrong with me, and I tried to sum all of the misery up in a few words.

"Sounds like a sinus infection," Hatori finally said.

I blinked. "How could you tell if you haven't even seen me?"

Hatori chuckled. "I'm a very experienced doctor, Mayuko-chan."

I decided to ignore that. "Well, whatever, I'll be better by Tuesday."

"Do you want me to bring you some medicine?"

I resisted a cough, because God only knows what kind of disgusting shit that would bring out of my aching body. "No. I'll be fine. How come you're up at this hour? And why are you calling me?"

"Ayame heard from Yuki that you weren't in school yesterday," Hatori explained.

"So you decided to call at two in the morning?"

"It's actually three."

I looked at the clock on the TV and made a face. "Still."

Hatori sighed. "I don't know, exactly." He let out a defeated 'hm'. "I guess I'm caught."

This was kind of becoming too much. Hatori was calling me, in the middle of the early morning, asking if I was alright. Was he thinking about me? I mean... what other reason would he call at this time? And yet, he _couldn't_ be calling about me. This is _Hatori_ that we're talking about.

I shook my head, which didn't help my headache, and tried to clear my mind. "Why don't I hang up and you can go back to sleep?"

Hatori was silent for a moment, and I was afraid that I had hurt his feelings. "Yes... I'll talk to you later, Mayuko-chan. I hope you feel better."

"Uh-huh." I sniffed with no effect. "Thanks for checking up on me. I appreciate it, even when it is an abnormal time to call."

Then there was another pause. And, I can't really explain it... but it was as if I could tell he was smiling. The thought made me feel warm, and as I hung up the phone, it felt as if everything was ok.

Then I sneezed once again. And I remembered that everything was _not_ ok. The yellow color of the goo that had exited my nose was proof of that.


	5. Sick again

Of Sinus Infections and Movies

The next day, I lay on my couch for almost the entire 12 hours of daylight. I can't list how many movies I watched, but it was about half of my collection of DVDs. I didn't feel like watching all my humor/romance chick-flicks, but instead felt like watching something I hadn't seen in a long time. That included the action-packed and/or somewhat mysterious movies. I think I watched almost all my James Bond movies that my cousin had sent me, two old Western films, three future-oriented mystery thrillers, and then the rest of James Bond.

Mom would always get angry with me whenever my Dad and I would sit down and watch James Bond on the TV. She'd rant on about how degrading it was towards the female species. Watching it over, I had to agree with her, but at that moment in time, I didn't really care. I just liked watching the action in it all. Especially when all the incredibly nice-looking, and probably hiddeously expensive, cars blew up into smitherines. It was cool.

I blew my nose, going through the third roll of toilet paper that weekend, and tossed the dirty paper into the trash can. I had learned to set it right next to the couch, or at least within a two-step distance wherever I went in the appartment. I sat, watching something on the Sci-Fi channel. It was one of those killer-monster-that-no-one-can-stop-except-the-hero-and-heroine-who-also-happen-to-fall-in-love-despite-all-the-blood-guts-and-horror movies. I had watched an entire marathon sometime last summer, and I figured why not tune in at eleven at night and recap? It brought back a lot of memories, and it made me somewhat content with myself. Despite the whole crazy women screaming hysterically part.

I took a bite out of my Mac&Cheese (second bowl that day), and stared intently at the screen.

The hero and heroine were running away from a monster in a swamp/forest. They were breathing heavily, and the girl was crying. The man, who was honestly not bad-looking, would pick her up whenever she tripped, and protect her whenever debris would fall over their heads. He was recieving many wounds, but would somehow manage not to be killed. The same thing happened with the girl, even though she seemed disgustingly helpless most times. It gave a bad name to females. Not like James Bond didn't, but still. I supposed since the hero was noticeably in shape, and the female was noticeably model material, they were therefor immune to the horrors of actual reality.

"Jackie, come on!" The man yelled. He had jumped down into a hole and was beckoning her in. "Come on! Jump!"

The girl, fidgiting, looked over her shoulder, then back at the man. Jackie, as she was called, shook her head. "I can't!"

I could see why she was scared (the jump was rather steep), but I made a face. It was easier to jump into the strong arms of a handsome lover, rather than get eaten by only God knows what.

"Jackie, come on!" the man shouted for the third time. "I'll catch you!"

She glanced over her shoulder, flinched and screamed at more growling noises, then turned back to the man once again. Her scrunched-up face seemed to say, "Promise?"

"Don't be afraid," the man said, holding out his hand. "Come on. Jump."

The girl closed her eyes, which was stupid on her part, and practically fell into the hole. The man caught her, both of them tumbling down further into the dark, mysterious unknown.

The doorbell to my appartment rang as I let out another sneeze.

"They key is under the mat!" I shouted, my voice sounding odd. Sometimes I would forget my key at the school. Other times, I would be perfectly comfortable reading a book in bed, or watching a movie on TV, and my friend would come over. I just got into the habbit of leaving a spare key under the mat.

I heard the door open, close, and the sound of a key being put down on a table. I looked over the edge of the couch, curious. "Who's there?"

A figure emerged from the hallway, carrying a small, brown bag. My mouth nearly fell open. At seeing the TV, the figure frowned.

"What movie is this?" Hatori asked.

"Uhh..." I looked back at the movie. Now the heroine, Jackie, was tending to the wounds of her friend. It was a touching scene, I guessed, but it was not something to watch with Hatori Sohma standing in my appartment. I mean... for Christ's sake, the actor didn't have his shirt on. I tried not to drool over that tiny turn on, and slowly turned back to Hatori. "A good one?"

He looked reluctant for a second, but then shrugged. Holding up the bag, he said, "I brought you some medicine."

"... Uhh..." I turned down the volume on the TV and tried to think of something to say. "Thanks... but I don't really need it." I sneezed again, and grimaced.

"You'll never be better by Tuesday if you don't take this," Hatori said, matter of factly.

I shrugged, as if to say "Probably not", and relaxed my head against the arm of the couch. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure you're ok," Hatori replied, taking off his coat. He paused before he slung it over the kitchen table. "May I?"

I blew my nose and waved it away. "Make yourself at home." I heard him walking around the small appartment, and I warned him about my room. It wasn't really a sanitary place to go. But, alas, men can't hear anything.

"Jesus, Mayuko-chan, did you blow your nose enough?"

"Shut up," I said, watching TV. "Sinus infections are a bitch."

I heard him grunt as he picked up all my used tissues and threw them into the trash can in my room. He walked about, doing the same thing in the bathroom and the hallway. He stopped back in the kitchen again, and opened the refidgerator. I refused to look at him, as if I didn't care that he was wandering around my apartment at eleven-o-clock on a Sunday night, and continued to watch the movie.

"Are you ok?" Jackie asked the man. By that time, I had figured out that the man's name was Mike.

"A bit late for that question, don't you think?" Mike replied with a grunt and a rough smile. The two had now found an abandoned house in the middle of the woods, and surprisingly found an entire cabinet full of guns and ammunition. Mike was busying himself with the toys, and Jackie just stood there, not really knowing what to do.

"This girl drives me crazy," I said before I could remember that Hatori was present.

"Hm?" he called back.

"This girl!" I repeated. "She brings disgrace to us all. If I were there, I'd grab all the good guns before he could, keep them for myself, and save my own ass. I mean... I'd help him as well, but I wouldn't just let him do all the hero work. Women have power too, you know."

"Yes, I know." Hatori was now standing next to the couch. I sat up, seeing the glass of water and two pills in his hand. He handed them to me and made sure that I took the medicine.

I shivered and almost threw up at the taste. "This stuff is going to make me better?"

Hatori nodded, and gave a knowing smile. "Did you drink a lot of liquid?"

"Uhh... not really," I said, visibly gulping as Mike stood close to Jackie, staring deeply into her eyes. "Why?"

"I want you to drink as much as you can," Hatori instructed. "Before I leave, I want to see you drink five glasses of water." I was about to protest, but he held up a hand. "You don't have to chug them all right now."

"Then how long do you plan on staying?" I asked.

He paused, thinking. "I don't know."

I rolled my eyes, but didn't want to be stuck in an awkward silence, so I told him to sit down. He resisted at first, but I eventually persuaded him to watch movies with me. He sat at the other end of the couch, my feet perched on his lap. I managed to make him get up and fill a glass of water just before Mike and Jackie passionately kissed at the end of the movie. I didn't really want to be stuck watching that part with Hatori sitting beside me.

We ended up watching another two monster movies like that. We would watch most of it, talking from time to time, and I'd ask for a glass of water before the romantic scenes. On the third movie, I forgot to, because I was practically asleep on the couch.

"Jake," the beautiful, blonde-haired heroine asked her buff and handsome hero. "Are you going to be alright? Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

"And be killed by that _thing_?" Jake asked, refering to the humongous, killer spider that was on a current rampage towards their hiding spot. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"But-" The girl tried.

"Kim," Jake said, stepping close to her. "I don't want you getting hurt. I was sent on this job to protect you, remember?" This was true, seeing as that was how the whole romantic plot was developed. Smart girl finds out about monster, alerts FBI, and gets an incredibly attractive agent sent to protect her.

There was dissappointment in Kim's eyes (probably because she thought that she was not the object of his affection, but merely his job), and she looked down at the ground. Jake cocked his gun, walked over to the window and scowled. I really must say that Jake possesed a gorgeous frown. You should have seen him when he smiled. Oh. My. God. He walked over to the door and was about to open it when he suddenly paused.

This would normally be the time when I would ask Hatori to get up, but I was practically dead. If this is beyond your comprehension, I suggest that you go get yourself a sinus infection and have fun trying to get to sleep at night. Trust me, you get tired fast.

Anyway...

In three large steps, Jake had returned to Kim, taken her face in his free hand, and kissed her. She was surprised, but clung to his shoulders for support as he pinned her against the wall. It was over almost as soon as it began, and before I knew it, Jake had exited the screen with a beat-red Kim gasping for breath.

"I think that was when you were supposed to ask me to get a glass of water," Hatori said. I looked at him, confused. He pointed to the TV. "That was when you wanted me to leave. When the male kissed the female."

I hesitated before I burst out laughing. That was a mistake, I noticed, seeing as how I went into a coughing fit seconds later. When I was finally done, and breathing again, I melted into the couch and shook my head in disbelief.

"I'm not dumb, Mayuko-chan," Hatori said, confused himself.

I waved it away. "Yeah... I know." I let out a content sigh. "Sorry. Did that make you uncomfortable?"

"You laughing at me or the kissing scene?"

"Both."

Hatori gave me a warm smile. I almost couldn't breathe again. Never had he given me that smile. It was always preserved for... _her_. "Neither."

That was when I passed out of the couch. I didn't wake up until noon the next day.


	6. What's In a Name

What's in a Name

I don't like my name. I really don't. Ever since I was a little kid, I've wanted to change it. See, your name says something about you. Take Kana for instance.

Kana- sweet sound, sweet girl. Such an innocent, loving, sweet person. And by hearing her name, you kind of know that.

Sakura- beautiful. That's the first thing that comes to mind. And my friend with that name definitely lived up to that expectation.

Aki- sounding a bit cold at first, but after you think about it, it's a nice name. An easy going kind of person she was, my friend Aki would always get guys asking about her just because of her name.

And then it's me. Mayuko. It almost sounds like a kind of syrup. I mean... when you think of the name Mayuko, what comes to mind? Nothing. No beauty or sweetness or personality with that name. At most, the first thing that comes to mind is intellegence. Nothing else. So when I was a kid, I'd always try and change it. But I soon learned that people made fun of me for it, so I stopped trying.

I hated my name. I had always hated it. Even when Kana gave me the nickname of Mayu. I just never had a thing for it. Sure, Mayu was cool, and I liked it, but... it just never thrilled me. Not like the name Aki or Sakura. Maybe that made me a bad person, but whatever.

Then _he_ said my name. The first thing he called me was Mayu... and all of a sudden, it sounded cooler than it had ever sounded before. I had to hesitate, make sure I was still alive, then think of something to say.

"That's a rather bold thing to call me," I ended up spitting out.

"Oh, is it?" He asked. "I'm sorry. Kana just calls you that all the time. I suppose I picked it up."

After that, he never called me Mayu again. He started calling me Mayuko-chan.

Whenever he calls me Mayuko-chan, I get this warm feeling in my gut, and I suddenly love my name. I really do. I want to hear him say it over and over again. There was just something special when he called me Mayuko-chan.

I still feel warm, and my name has suddenly become very important to me. I make sure that my students say my name right, or else I'll become annoyed. I like... no, scratch that. I _love_ hearing him say my name. Whenever I call him, or he calls me, and we say hello to each other, I like hearing the sound when he says, "Hello, Mayuko-chan". I only hear my name about twice in a conversation, and I savor the feeling of it. From the moment he says hello, to when he says goodbye with a simple "I'll talk to you later, Mayuko-chan". Call me a dork for doing so, but I don't care. It's special to me.

But...

I notice, every time we call each other, that I wait for him to call me Mayu again. I wait, and I hope, and I pray, all in the back of my mind. Then he calls me Mayuko-chan, and I hang up, feeling somewhat dissappointed. There's just something missing; something very small in the deepest pit of my heart. And it's only filled when I remember that time when he had called me Mayu.

I was never able to find that sensation again. When he called me by that name, it was as if my entire body went numb. I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't feel my fingers. I couldn't even blink, or hear anything. I just heard the echo of his voice in my head calling me.

_Mayu. Mayu. Mayu. Mayu._


	7. A Chat Between Friends

A Chat Between Friends

"Why aren't you married?"

I blinked and stopped grading papers abruptly. Slowly, my eyes lifted from the hundreth test I had graded that day and rested upon my co-worker and good friend.

"I know it's a horrible thing to ask, but I genuinely want to know,"Sakura Sensei (but I just called her Sakura) said. "You know how curious and/or horrificly open I am."

I sighed, put down my pen, and rubbed my temples. "Who asked you to ask me?"

"No one," she replied, sitting down on one of the student's desks. It was my free period, and everyone was eating lunch. She looked at me with her stupid, half smile. "A student in my church who has you as a teacher asked me. She listed all these great things about you as well. You would have blushed."

"Who was this?" I asked, perking up the slightest bit. Sakura laughed and pushed her long strawberry-blonde hair out of her face. I caught sight of her ring (her new wedding ring). She had just gotten married that past summer.

"I can't tell. She told me not to." Sakura stuck her tongue out at me, and I did likewise. "But come on, why aren't you married?"

I shrugged, picking my pen back up. "I haven't met the right person yet."

"Do you at least have a boyfriend?" She asked.

I didn't hesitate to snort. "No."

"Sheesh, we need to get you out more, Mayu."

"I don't need to go out," I explained. "I just haven't met that special person."

"You could if youwent out," Sakura insisted.

I rolled my eyes. "Sakura, honey, I just... I've met the right person, but he doesn't feel that way about me."

"Excuse me?" Sakura said, her suddenly going hushed. She scooted the desk closer, and her eyes instantly lit up. "Who is this man?"

Teasingly, I gave her a suggestive look. "Who said anything about a man?"

Her jaw might have dropped through the floor. "Wha-?" I spit as I burst into laughter, causing her to scowl and hit my arm playfully. "You dirty little ho."

"That language is not appropriate in school," I said, still laughing. I then calmed myself and began grading tests again.

"Come on, Mayu!" Sakura whined. "Tell me who it is." It was amazing how much we sounded like our teenage students.

I shrugged, not wanting to touch the subject. "No one."

I felt her poke me with a painful force. "Mayu! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

I swatted her hand away and pretended to be extremely interested in the test I was grading. "He's just a guy."

"How do you know him?" She just wouldn't leave me alone, would she?

"From my past. He's an old friend."

"So what's the problem?"

I shook my head. "Sakura, can we just drop it?"

She gave me a pout. "You owe me for bailing you out of the last teachers meeting with Let-Me-Look-Down-Your-Shirt Principal Schoch."

I was caught. Grumbling, I shot her a glare, but continued my work. "... his name is Hatori. I'm not mentioning the last name."

She beamed at this. "Ok!"

"Not ok." I sighed heavily. "When I knew him, he was the boyfriend of my best friend."

She fell silent, her smile fading. "Oh..."

"Yeah. Oh." I stopped grading the paper and just fiddled with the pen. "It became really complicated, and to make a long story short... she got amnesia. And he wasn't allowed to talk to her due to... unstable mental capacity." I never really knew how skilled I was at improvisation and lying. I was pretty damn good. "So... They were together for a long time, and... I was just his girlfriends best friend... and I can't just 'make a move' because he's my friend and I shouldn't treat him like that. Plus that would be completely betraying my best friend... so... yeah."

The erie silence between us made me shift uncomfortably. Luckly, it didn't last too long because the phone rang. I stood, walked over to where it was hanging, and picked it up.

"Room 233," I said into the reciever. The voice on the other line shocked me.

"Mayuko-chan?" asked the deep voice of a familiar male.

I almost couldn't breathe. My breath hitched on my throat and I had to cough. "H-hi, Hatori-kun." I tried to ignore the instant look of curiosity in Sakura's eyes. I turned my back to her. "Uhh... why are you calling the school?"

"Just checking to see how the medication is going," he replied. "Feeling any better?"

"Hatori-kun, it's friday," I said slowly. "It's been a week since I was sick."

There was a pause. "So the antibiotics worked?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Yes, Doctor Hatori, you were right as always. I drank a shitload of water, took my pills, and was cured. You've saved the day once again."

"Are you being sarcastic or serious?"

"It's a sarcastic way of being funny, but I'm thanking you in my own special way at the same time," I explained with a laugh. "Just accept it as a compliment, ok?"

At this, I heard his chuckle. My heart stopped beating for a split second. "Alright then. I'm glad." I wasn't sure if he was talking about his medication working or the fact that I was feeling better. "I'll talk to you later, Mayuko-chan."

"Uh huh," I said. "See you, Hatori-kun." I hung up the phone, only to face the smuggest, most disgusting face Sakura had ever given me.

"Doesn't like you as more than a friend, huh?" she said, watching me as I returned to my desk.

"Yes," I responded harshly. "Now shut up and go back to your classroom."

"Alright, Mayu," Sakura sing-sang as she stood and walked over to the doorway. "I knew he liked you!" She practically sprinted out of the room as she said this.

"No he doesn't!" I called after her. I heard her humming happily down the halls, and rolled my eyes. I sank into my chair, shaking my head. "He really doesn't..."


	8. High School Drama

High School Drama

The one thing I really don't like about High School is the drama. I mean, seriously. Life in High School would be SO much easier if the assholes just shut their mouths, or if certain egos weren't incredibly LARGE.

But they're all teenagers. What do they know about life?

Actually, no... I shouldn't be saying that. I had an encounter with a girl a while back. The girl was more mature than I was, in a way. See, I was just heading home, all of my paperwork complete, when I saw a figure sitting on the bottom step of the steps leading up to the main entrance. I walked over and looked at the poor thing.

It was a girl (obviously). She had probably been sitting in the same spot for an hour, judging by her sun burn marks. She just kept staring at the space in front of her, hardly moving. I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you ok?"

The girl lifted her head, surprised. She gave a quick smile. "Oh, no. I'm fine. Thanks, though."

I took a deep breath. I wasn't a councelor, nor was I a very good advice giver, but something about the situation just bugged me. Perhaps it was because I recognized her from one of my classes. "You really shouldn't try to lie to a teacher."

The girl's face paled, and she returned to staring in front of her. I stood there for another minute, then shrugged and gave up. Yet, as I was walking away, the girl spoke.

"It's really nothing, Mayuko Sensei," she mumbled.

Now I remembered. Her name was Ritsuko. "If it was nothing, then wouldn't you have let me leave?" Ritsuko was trapped, and all she could do was shake her head and look away from me. I sighed and sat down next to her, putting down my bags for the time being. We sat in silence for a little while.

"Who was your first love?" Ritsuko suddenly asked.

My breath hitched in my throat, and I coughed. The question kind of confused me. "Uhh... in adulthood or... ever?"

She shrugged. "Have you ever had that one person that you just can't forget? That one damn-" she shut her mouth as I gave her an amused look. "Sorry... that one _stupid_ person who you can't move on from?"

I inhaled, his face flashing before my eyes. "Yep."

At this, Ritsuko stretched out her legs and leaned back against her hands. "It sucks, doesn't it, Mayuko Sensei?"

I chuckled. "More than I can describe. Something happen, Ritsuko-chan?"

Ritsuko's cheeks were instantly filled with a pink color. She looked down at the ground and mumbled, "Yeah... something happened."

I waited for her to respond. When she didn't, but instead glanced at me, I motioned for her to continue. She laughed.

"No offense, Mayko Sensei, but you probably don't want to hear about it," she told me. When I replied that I was genuinley interested, she waited a little longer, then sighed. "Do you know that one kid? Koki Yamazaki?" I nodded. "He's the one."

"The one you're going to marry, or-?"

"Hell no!" She gasped and shut her mouth again. "Sorry... I mean... I'm _way_ too young to think about marriage, but he's the one I can't stop thinking about." She bit her lower lip. "It's been an entire year since I've liked him. No... a year and a half. For the past half, we haven't spoken to each other. Before then, we were best friends."

"What happened?" I asked, concerned.

"Well..." Ritsuko sat up and began thinking. "There's a lot of other sh... _crap_ that goes into this story, but to make it short, I was just stupid and let slip that I liked him... a lot. Since then, we haven't talked to each other."

"At all?" I asked, shocked. I knew Koki. I could see why someone like Ritsuko would be so attracted to him. In fact, in the begining of the year, all they did was hang out with each other. Some of their friends were with them, of course, but still. "Is it because he didn't like you in the same sense?"

She gave me this look that kind of made me feel retarded. "He had just confessed to me the night before that it would take a little while to get over his ex, whom _I_ helped him get in the first place."

"Ritsuko, you didn't..." I said, feeling horrible.

"Well, I did!" she threw up her hands, frustrated. "I wanted to be a good friend, so I gave him advice, found out what she liked... everything." She shook her head. "So, of course, he wasn't going to return my feelings."

I was silent for a moment, then decided to ask, "Have you done anything about it?"

She gave a small, dry laugh. "Actually... I wrote him a letter. I was going to talk to him, but I wrote a letter as a backup plan because-" she nodded at me. "You know how shy I can be."

I shrugged in understanding.

"So I gave that to him today, telling him that he needed to read it, and that everything in it was true, and that I would appreciate it if he would respond as well," Ritsuko explained. "It had a lot of stupid shit- I mean!" She smacked her forehead, and all I could do was laugh.

"Ritsuko, it's after school hours, and I swear like no other person I know," I said. "Feel free to express feelings through foul language."

She gave me a grateful smile. "Thanks... anyway... There was a lot of stupid shit in it, like 'I'm sorry I can't talk to you about this in person' and 'Our friendship has become nonexsistent' and I even put in a 'I wonder if I was ever more to you than a friend'."

"Hm."

"I gave it to him in the morning," Ritsuko said. She shook her head at herself. "He responded this afternoon, right as school ended, telling me in person that he wasn't avoiding me. He said that he had just been extremely busy since then. And then he appologized because it sounded like such a lie."

I paused. "So that's a bad thing?"

Ritsuko nodded, a look upon her face as if she was disgusted by her own actions. "It was nice of him to come up to me in person, and I really appreciate the fact that he understands the situation and that he wasn't avoiding me, but..." She just sighed. "Before then I felt like I was getting better. Like I was finally moving on. And now... now I'm right back to square one."

We sat there, on the step, for a long time. All she could do was reflect on her 'stupidity', and I tried to think of something to say.

"Ristuko-chan," I said slowly. "You're only fifteen."

"I know!" she wailed. "And it's too young to be thinking about anything serious with a boy because, let's face it, I'm in 9th grade and _nothing_ in High School lasts. And I know the whole 'you'll move on' story, but it's just not working! And I really, honestly _shouldn't_ be so concerned about Koki because I actually _like_ being single, but..." She let out a frustrated squeal. "Mayuko Sensei, I haven't been this hooked on a boy since the fifth grade when I was obsessed with Satoshi Niwako!"

I let out a snort of laughter. "You mean the quarterback of the football team who is currently cheating on five girls?"

She nodded, and I had to wipe the smile from my face. "It just _bugs_ me. We didn't even cover everything that I wrote in the letter."

"Maybe you should just tell him that?" I suggested.

"After I already made an ass out of myself twice?" she asked, her voice low. "And I _just_ wrote him a letter. What kind of girl will that make me look like? Can you imagine how pathetic he thinks I am?"

"If he thinks you're pathetic, then he's not worth it," I blurted out, becoming angry. "Trust me."

"Then why do I think he is?" Ritsuko asked, her voice cracking. Without thinking, I pulled her into a hug. Surprisingly, she didn't resist.

"Because we're stupid, hormonal, too-damn-young-to-know-what-the-hell-we're-doing females," I said quietly. "How's that?"

Ritsuko sniffed, giggling a bit. She pulled back and smiled at me. "That's fine." She exhaled, wiping away some stray tears. "Think I'll ever get better?"

It was my turn to give her a smile. I patted her shoulder. "I have no doubt in my mind."

"Ritsuko-chan?"

We both turned to see a young man standing at the top of the steps, his eyes focused of the young woman sitting beside me. His blue eyes filled with concern immediately, and he rushed over to us.

"Are you ok?" he asked, skidding on the last step, but trying to make it look like he meant to do that by sitting down hard. He winced. "What's up? Why are you crying?"

Ritsuko laughed. "Gee, Dai-kun, I didn't even know you had such a thing as emotion in your body."

The young man scowled, then playfully punched Ritsuko's arm. "Shut your mouth. Of course I have emotions."

Ritsuko snorted. "Yeah, around your _friends_."

Dai rolled his eyes. "You make me sound so mean."

"This is my step brother," Ritsuko explained to me, turning her back to the brown-haired fellow. "Daisuke, this is Mayuko Sensei. She's one of my teachers."

"Well, that's a relief," Daisuke said, his tongue practically dripping with sarcasim. "I thought she was a random stranger that you just decided to spill your guts to."

He stood, ruffling part of her hair. She moved her head and swatted his hand away. Standing up at last, she stretched, causing more than a few of her sore bones to crack. She gave a meek smile and for the first time that day, of which I have seen, she relaxed. "Thanks for listening to me, Mayuko Sensei. Come on, Dai-kun!" She began walking home, her mood noticably brighter.

"I hate it when she calls me that," he mumbled. I couldn't tell if he was speaking to me or to himself. Despite the annoyed sound in his voice, he let out a kind, thoughful smile as he watched Ritsuko jumping up and down, trying to awaken her numb legs.

I stood and stretched a bit myself. As I gathered my things, Daisuke turned to me.

"Thanks," he said. He held out his hand for me to shake, so I did. "I appreciate you being there for her."

"Why? Is it always you taking care of her?" I asked, sticking out my tongue playfully.

He shrugged one shoulder. "Eh. She takes care of me more than she knows, but I'm the one she comes to when she just can't take life anymore."

I nodded and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Watch her back. She's having some... boy problems, shall we say."

Daisuke gave a grunt. "Yeah, I know. That Koki guy." When he saw my look of shock, he rolled his eyes. "She mentioned it once, but I noticed her behavior around him. Plus, I saw her typing a letter to him yesterday. Don't tell her I know," he added quickly. "But... yeah, I know."

That's basically all that happened. I watched Daisuke and Ritsuko walk home along the sidewalk, Daisuke occasionally pushing Ritsuko playfully. She would try to shove him off the walk, but would only end up bumping into a nearby tree due to Dai's strength compared to hers. It was cute, watching them walk home together. It kind of reminded me of the good old days. Mostly, it reminded me of myself.

But, unfortunately, there wasn't another incredibly cute male who was my best friend who just happened to have a thing for me, which I would, according to The Rules of Life, eventually see in a different light, and we'll end up happily ever after. I guessed I was just unlucky like that.

* * *

**A/N:** Ritsuko's problem is almost exactly like mine. Won't go into details, because it's kind of all there in Ritsuko's chat with Mayuko Sensei. I was just bored and decided to draw from real life experience. Except I'm kind of like Mayu at the end. There isn't an enormously cute step brother (nor any other male that I kow of) that just happens to have a thing for me. Hope y'all are liking this so far. I'm probably going to keep posting even if you don't :P 


	9. A Note

A Note

After I talked with Ritsuko, I began thinking. What if I wrote a letter to Hatori? How would he respond? Would he even consider responding? Probably not, but it was worth a shot, right?

_Dear Hatori,_

I paused after I typed just that into my laptop. I sat on the couch in my apartment, thinking. I tried typing a few things, but ended up deleating them.

_Come on, Mayu_, I told myself. _Just let it all out._

So I began to type the following:

_Do you remember when we were younger? A lot younger? Back to the days when you and Kana were in love with each other, and I was dating Shiguire (God, I'm surprised I didn't commit suicide)? You really thought Shiguire and I made a perfect couple, didn't you? You couldn't imagine a better life. You and Kana, me and Shiguire. Well... funny thing about that._

_I only dated Shiguire because I was lonely. I was in love with someone else. Don't worry, though. I promised myself that I would never date anoyone just because I was lonely ever again._

Before I knew it, I was typing everything. About how much I hated myself for dating due to lonliness, how I would watch him and Kana and wish for him to smile like that around me. About how much I loved hearing him say my name, but wished he would call me Mayu again. I typed about the two years after Kana's memory wipe and how much I missed him. Then,I was typing about me. I was typing things I hated about myself. I told him of things I regreted, thing that scared me, moments in my life when I felt completely worthless.

I typed, and I typed, and I typed. I must've started around six in the evening, and I was up until midnight, perfecting, adding more, cutting out a few (but then putting them back) sentances. It was insane. And, as I climbed into bed that night, the letter freshly printed out and sitting on the bedside table, I wondered how Hatori would react.

* * *

"Mayuko-chan, can you come here and help me with these books?" I heard my mom calling. I picked up my head from the back of the receptionist desk and laughed at the sight of my mother trying to put books back on the top shelf. She was a very short woman. 

"Hang on, Mom," I said, coming over. "Let me handle it." I took a few books, stood on tiptoe, and began putting them neatly back where they had originally been.

"Such a nice, caring girl I have," Mom said with a smile. I shrugged. "Oh, don't you shrug your shoulders at me, young lady. I bet any man would die to have you."

I almost dropped one of my books, but managed to catch it. "Mom... I'm perfectly happy being single."

"Oh, but Mayuko-chan, you're still young," Mom said with an old laugh. "You can still find that someone."

"Wrong, Mom," I said, becoming uncomfortable. "Can we please just drop it?"

"What about that fellow that comes in here to pick up books for his friend?" Mom asked.

"Yeah, that's specific, Mom."

"What did you call him? Hatori-kun?"

At that, I really did drop a book. Actually... I dropped most of the books I was holding. I swore, but stooped down to pick them up, grumbling. Mom was laughing lightly again, and I really didn't want to ruin her good mood. But this was getting ridiculous.

"Mom," I said slowly and carefully. I stood again. "He's just a friend."

"Oh, but I see the way you look at him," Mom said slyly. I felt my face heat up. "I was the same way. Not with getting the men I wanted, I could always do that." I had to give an amused giggle. "But I could never get your father to like me. It took until a few years after college before he finally asked me out on a date. We had been friends for too long, going through too many troubles." She chuckled. "I thought I would die if he didn't ask me out before I was this age... which I really thought would happen."

"Well, Mom," I said, finishing putting away books. I stood normally, relaxing my arms. "This isn't like your circumstance. He's not going to see me in a different light... ever." From the corner of my eye, I saw the door to our shop open, and a figure in the doorway. I knew who it was because he had called to tell me he was picking up another book for Shiguire.

Mom turned to see who our customer was and smiled. "Oh, that's him, isn't it?"

My cheeks burned as I shot her a glare. "Mom..."

"Good afternoon, Mayuko-chan," Hatori greeted me with a nod.

I smiled as best as I could, my heart sinking. "Heya, Hatori-kun." Before my mom could say anything, I walked over to the counter, gesturing for him to follow. He did, after bowing as a hello to Mother. As I was searching below the counter for his book, the envelope caught my eye. The envelope I had put my four page letter into. The envelope the I was going to give to Hatori today. I had placed it in the front of the book he needed, hoping for him not to see it until he left. I paused as I held the book open in my hands, staring at the letter.

Was this really a good idea?

"What's that?" Hatori asked. I looked up and saw him leaning over the counter, an expression of curiosity upon his face.

If I hadn't already been blushing furiously before then, now I was. Inside my mind, I swore like a beast. "It's, uhh..." I cleared my throat, then stood. "It's nothing." I set the book down and took the envelope out of the front. I held it tightly in my hand as I Hatori paid for the book.

"Are you sure it's nothing?" he asked, taking the book. "It looks kind of big. For a letter, I mean."

"It's not a letter," I said quickly. "It's just... it's nothing." Strange. Last night, I had been so intent on giving him this note, now I wanted nothing more than to rip it into shreds so he'll never find it.

"What's in it, then?" That man just didn't know when to give up.

"I don't know," I said, trying not to snap. "It's just junk mail. Trash." Before I could even think, I did rip the letter. It was actually somewhat difficult because there were four pieces of folded paper in it. But I ripped it. I ripped it in half, then did it again... then did it _again_. I threw it into the waste can, and gave a strained smile.

He gave me an odd look, but inhaled and shrugged it away. "Ok... I'll talk to you later, Mayuko-chan."

With that, he left the store, leaving me to feel so disgusted with myself that I could cry. No... I _did_ cry. I felt the hot tears spring to my eyes, and I had to run to the bathroom. I locked the door, and turned on both fans so no one could hear my choking sobs.

Why did I have to be so damn stupid?


	10. Best Friends Forever

Best Friends Forever

"Mayu? Mayu? MAYU!"

I gasped, feeling my breath hitch, and jumped at the sound of someone calling my name. I felt the covers of my warm bed being ripped off of my body and I shrieked.

"Hey!"

I sat up to grab them back, but felt hands grab my shoulders. I shook myself awake and looked around. The sun was shining brightly through the shades of my bedroom windows, and my clock read 9:15. Aki and Sakura were standing by my bed. Well, Aki was holding my shoulders, and Sakura was sitting on the other side of my bed. I had to blink a few times.

"What the-?" I looked at Aki. "I thought you were in Tokyo."

"I flew into town today," she told me calmly. "Sakura called last night and said that there was something wrong with you."

I glared at my friend. "Gee, thanks."

"Oh, don't look at me like that!" Sakura said, glaring right back. "_You're_ the one who hasn't been in school for three days. And you're not even sick!"

I rolled my eyes and felt my stomach fall after remembering what had happened a few days ago. "I _feel_ sick."

"Want to tell us what's really been bothering you?" Aki asked, letting go of my shoulders, then taking a seat next to Sakura. "Please?"

I sighed. "No... not really. I'll go back to work tomorrow, I promise."

"Hey, I didn't call for a best friend's reunion for nothing," Sakura snapped. She was such a sweet girl, but when she was angry or frustrated, she could have a sharp tongue.

"If it's a reunion, then where's Kana?" I asked. Saying her name didn't feel right. It made me feel sick to my stomach.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I heard someone call. My head whipped around to look at the doorway. There she stood, wedding ring on her finger and all. She smiled at me, a plate of newly made muffins in her hand. "I was making breakfast." She was always so pretty when she smiled.

I felt my heart sinking. "No... that's fine..."

"So will you tell us what's wrong?" Sakura said as Kana took a seat, setting the muffins down on the bed. All of my friends looked at me, and I instantly felt overwhelmed.

"Why did you guys do this for me?" I asked quietly.

"Because we're your friends," Aki replied first. "We promised each other in High School that we would always be there for each other."

"No matter how far apart we grew," Kana added.

"Or how annoying we got," Sakura chirpped. "So I called these two girls, took the day off from work, and drove here."

"Yeah, and she's not the only one who took the day off," Aki added in. "Sakura, Kana, and I _all_ took at least two days off of work this week to come visit you."

"Because we didn't think that we could have a reunion in just one day," Kana explained. "It's not possible for us."

I felt the tears come to my eyes, and I coughed. "Guys..." I tried to wipe some away. "... Thank you."

"AH!" Kana jumped up and practically tackled me with a hug. "Mayu, why are you crying?"

"Easy, Kana!" Sakura said, picking up the muffins and gently setting them aside. THEN she jumped at me. "Group hug!"

I laughed, feeling the tears fall on my cheek. Aki just shrugged and scooted closer to me, taking my hand in hers. We spent a long time like that. I just sat there, crying for everything that had happened (good and bad), as Sakura held onto my arm, Kana hugged my stomach and set her head on my shoulder, and Aki let me grip her hand. When I finally appologized for my strange actions, the three girls just shrugged, and they told me that this was what friends do.

"No matter how many buggers are in the process," Aki said, winking at me.

* * *

I wasn't ready to talk about Hatori just yet, so we just popped in a couple of our favorite movies, junked out, and told funny stories. I don't think I have ever felt so grateful for my friends in my entire life.

It became around midnight, and we had finished watching all the movies we could stand. I sighed, lying down on my bed, and felt my friends pick a random spot on the matress to sit. I felt a little sick, but I knew it was time. Basically, it was the whole now-or-never deal.

"Mayu?" Aki asked calmly, speaking for everyone. "... Are you alright?"

I shook my head and sighed heavily. "... No." They waited patiently for me to continue. I glanced at Kana, swallowed hard, but slowly sat up, rested my back against the headboard, and inhaled. "I know it sounds... pathetic, but... there's this guy..."

"The same one as before?" Sakura blurted out.

"Whoa, you know about this?" Aki demanded.

"It's because I owed her for saving me from a teacher's meeting," I explained.

"Oh, you mean with Principal Schoch?" Kana asked, shivering. Everyone grew quiet, and I tried again.

"And... I haven't been this concerned about a guy since... well, basically forever," I said carefully. I gulped, the full realization of what was going on inside of me hitting me like a ton of bricks. "... I'm seriously in love with him."

We were all quiet for... well, quite some time. Kana was holding my hand, which made me feel like even more of a dirtbag. Sakura was silent because she had heard this before, but it was kind ofa big deal if I was _in love_ with the guy. Aki didn't know quite what to do, but she gave me a sad smile, kind of expecting what was to come.

"Why is this a bad thing?" Kana did the honor of asking the dreaded question.

I swallowed hard, my throat feeling drier than a desert. I opened and closed it a few times, but finally managed to push out, "Because... he doesn't love me back." Before any of the protest could fly, I shushed my friends. "He really doesn't! Years ago, he was in love, and dating, one of my best friends."

"One of us?" Aki said, confused.

"No," I lied, answering quickly. "But she was a very good friend. She kind of had this disease..."

"Unstable mental capacity," Sakura finished the sentance for me.

"Eh?" Kana asked, concerned. "That's horrible!"

"I know," I said, too ashamed to look at her. This was getting out of hand. "So not only did they have to split up, but he had to move on. Whereas, she doesn't even remember his name, and has already married." I took a deep breath. "And you can't just do that to your friend! I mean... I can't 'make my move' on H-" I stopped myself. "... this guy because I've been his friend for four years. And even if he has moved on, what kind of friend does that make me to the girl with the unstable brain?" I the tears forming, and I wiped them away ahead of time. "So what do I do, guys? I can't. That's just it. I can't do anything. I'm just stuck here."

"You're not stuck here,"Sakura tried.

"Yes I am!" I wailed. "I'm stuck in this god damn hole that's too deep to climb out of, and too far away from civilization and understanding to call for help. I've hit the bottom, and I can't get any more pathetic." By now, the tears were flowing freely, and I had buried my head in my hands. "What kind of person am I? To want something so badly that used to be someone's _world_..." I looked up, right into Kana's eyes. "Kana... what if it were you?"

"Me?" she asked, shocked.

"Yeah!" I went on. "What if it were you're ex, whom you didn't remember, and you two had love so strong, it could take down the Great Wall!" I then turned. "Or what if it were you, Sakura! Or you, Aki! You'd never forgive me..."

I felt arms wrap around me, and knew by the scent of her clothing that it was Sakura. She always wore some kind of perfume. I then felt Kana retake my hand, and Aki was sitting right in front of. She gave me a confident smile, a spark in her eyes. I saw one tear drop, and felt guilty. I didn't deserve my friend's tears.

"Of course we'd forgive you," Kana said, squeezing my hand. "I would wish you the best of luck, and I know that you would make him happier than I ever could."

"And if it were me?" Sakura sniffed. "Well... you can have him because not only am I married, but he's probably a hottie whom you deserve anyway." We all chuckled at this.

"And I wouldn't remember him in the first place," Aki said. "So I could care less. No offense to you or him."

So all four of us sat on my bed, crying and wiping away each others tears. It was silent most of the time, with occassional comments here and there. But that was ok. The important thing was that we understood each other. And I knew then that not even my own selfishness could tear the bond we all shared. It gave me a new kind of confidence that I didn't know I could feel. When we finally pulled apart, and I thanked them, my friends all waved it away.

"You know what they say," Aki said with a sniffle. "When you hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up."

"And when you can't walk anymore, you crawl," Sakura went on to quote something else. "And when you can't crawl..."

"You find someone else to carry you," Kana finished softly.


	11. Lonliness

**A/N:** Thanks SOO much for your reviews! (cries) You guys are too kind to me. I never thought that I would make this into a full out chapter story, but... well, not only do you guys like it (I hope), but I just got so caught up in it all. Especially because I read spoilers (I'm evil). But I don't give away spoilers in this! Anyway... enjoy!

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Chapter 12 

I sat at my desk, grading new essays that I had my students turn in the Monday I had skipped. It was a little odd being back at the school after so long. All the teachers were asking me if I was alright, with the exception of Sakura, and all my students treated me as a God. I kind of guessed that they had a bad substitute. I guessed right.

I sighed, tired of work already, and looked out the window. I missed my friends and the fun we had the past few days. We had munched on junk food, gone shopping (much to Aki's and my own discontent), watched new movies in the theater... I realized how much my friends meant to me. I still wrote them e-mails and such, but we all had to agree that it was nice seeing each other.

I think we might have a once a month get-together. Just for a day or so. Sakura and I are still working on it.

The phone rang in my room, and I stood. I heard a few bones crack in my neck, but ignored that and picked up the reciever. "Room 233."

"Mayuko Sensei, there's a man here who wants to speak with you," one of the receptionists said.

Confused, I just told her to send him up to my room. I went back to my work, and five minutes later, the man entered. He knocked on the door, and I had to look up from my work. I almost dropped my pen.

"Hatori-kun?" I said, stunned. He just shrugged, standing in my doorway. "What the-? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I tried to order another book on Tuesday, but you weren't at the shop," he explained. "I tried calling you, but you didn't answer the phone. And the receptionist said that you had been out for a few days."

I cleared my throat, not really wanting to contemplate over whether or not he really wanted the book that badly or he was honestly concerned over me. "I was sick. I'm sorry."

"If you were sick, why didn't you call?" he asked, taking off his coat and setting it down on a nearby desk.

I paused. "Because... I didn't want to bother you. It was just a stomach pain..." Which was half true.

"You were out for five days, Mayuko-chan," Hatori told me. I blinked, remembering that it was indeed Friday. "It must have been something else."

The flashback of crumbling up my note, having that talk with my friends, crying and feeling sorry for myself, made my face flush. I shook my head, feeling my face burn. "No... not really." Hatori had walked over to me, and, much to my surprise, put a hand over my forehead. I froze, trying to become concerned with my paperwork, but found that I could not. I pulled back, giving him a funny look. "I'm fine, Hatori-kun."

"Are you sure?" he asked, sitting down on top of one of the desks. "Because if you aren't, I have medicine..."

I rolled my eyes. "You don't always have to play doctor. I was just..." I paused, sighing. "I just needed some time off."

Hatori was silent for a moment. Then he ran a hand through his hair. "Care to share why?"

I swallowed, feeling my throat go dry. "Uhh... well... no offense, but... not really. It's... it's something you wouldn't understand." Hatori looked hurt for a moment, and I swore. "Jesus, Hatori-kun, I didn't mean to... I tried to say it in the nicest way possible..."

"It's alright, Mayuko-chan," he said. "I don't pretend to know everything. It's just..." He stopped, then shook his head, waving it away with a hand. "Nevermind."

I scowled, stopped 'grading papers', put down my pen, and glared at him. "Well now you have to tell me."

Hatori glanced at me, but then continued to stare out the window. "It's... it's just nice... being your friend." This made all my inside organs stop functioning.

"W-what are you talking about?" I asked, trying to act as if that last statement didn't mean to world to me.

Hatori looked me straight in the eye and gave a small smile. I almost melted right into my desk. "You've always been there for me. When I was upset about the draft... when I was angry at Shiguire... when I was lost about Kana..." Damnit. I knew he would mention her.

I shrugged, not letting my sinking heart show. "It's what friends do, Hatori-kun. They tell each other stuff and look out for one another."

"Exactly," Hatori said, not taking his eyes off of me. "And I just wanted to be there for you... the way you were for me."

I sighed, pretending once again to grade my papers. "I think we're pretty much even. You helped me when I was sick and all." There was an erie silence after I said that, and all I could do was make random marks on the essay in front of me. Hatori wouldn't look away, making me shift uncomfortably. At last, he inhaled, and stood.

"Well..." He yawned. "You know my number. If you ever need me..." His voice trailed off as he put on his coat. He walked out of the room, without a good-bye, and I was left, sitting at my desk.

I don't think I had ever felt more lonely in my entire life.


	12. Of Smiles and Monsters

**A/N:** Thank you SO much for your reviews! Especially since I wasn't planning on making this story this long. But thank you so much! And don't worry, I won't torture Mayu _that_ much longer, as seen in this chapter ;). Enjoy!

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Chapter 13 

I called him that night. I didn't even know what I was doing exactly. All I could feel was the overwhelming grief of making him feel worthless, then I was dialing his number. I swore under my breath.

It didn't work though. He didn't answer.

Concerned, I called him again. No response. Then I called his cell phone. I must've called that thing a hundred times. Each time, he didn't answer. Before I could even think twice, I was outside, in the pouring rain, and walking down to his house.

What in God's name was I doing? It was POURING! And here I was, walking to HIS house, hoping to be forgiven? Maybe all things can't be fixed...

I stopped my journey, hit myself over my head, then began back to my home. Only... I didn't want to go home yet. So I walked around. I KNOW it was raining hard, and I KNOW I could get sick again, but I kind of didn't care. I just walked. I walked past the grocery store, down a neighborhood I didn't know, then found myself at the park. I was soaked. My jeans, my long-sleeved shirt. The only thing that was remotely dry was my jacket. It was rainproof, but I had stupidly taken it off. I liked the rain, and I sort of enjoyed it making me wet. If I were smarter, however, then I would have put it back on.

I sat down on a bench in the park, feeling sadly content with my position in life. I mean... I had good friends... I had a home... I had people that cared about me. I had a job, a life. I wasn't depressed, and I didn't want to die by suicide. I was happy. The only thing that would make it better was him. And even then I didn't need a man to help me succeed in life.

It would just be nice to have him, you know?

I heard someone calling my name, and I looked around. I couldn't see anyone, however, and figured it was just my imagination. I looked back at the ground, and at the raindrops creating mud. I smiled goofily, playing with my bangs (watching how little rain droplets fell), and thought of how stupid I must have looked. I couldn't really hear anything because the sound of rain crashing into the trees and leaves blocked it out.

Then I felt a hand on my shoulder. I almost screamed, but found myself too tired to care whether or not I was about to get raped. I looked up.

"What are you doing?" asked a breathless Hatori.

I blinked. _What the-?_ "U-umm..." Once again, I looked at the surrounding area. How would I get out of this one? "... taking a walk?"

"Mayuko-chan, you'll get sick again," Hatori scolded me. I rolled my eyes, then went back to playing with my bangs. I heard him sigh. The surprising thing was that he sat down next to me. I had expected him to drag me home or something. "What are you really doing out here?"

I wasn't confused, and I didn't even bother to act like I was. "Looking for you... kind of. I tried calling, but you wouldn't pick up." I yawned for some odd reason. "So I was on my way to your house, but then I quit. Don't know why though."

Hatori nodded, and I continued. "I just wanted to appologize. I mean... I didn't mean to offend you or anything. It's just..." I paused. "When you left my room today... there was this really horrible empty feeling in my gut... like something had ended... and I didn't like it."

There was a short moment of silence, then Hatori nodded in agreement.

"I didn't like that feeling either," he said quietly.

I know this may seem out of character for me, but I'm just going to take this moment to say how handsome Hatori is. He is dead sexy handsome... and I'm probably just saying that because we were both soaking wet.

He sighed, then stood, cosmically pulling me up with him. I couldn't even stop him when he took off his coat and put it over my shoulders. I savored the warmth of it, and smiled sheepishly at him. He just picked up my dirty jacket, which had found its way into a nice mud puddle, put an arm around my shoulder, and we began walking home. No lie. It was the strangest thing I had ever experienced. I mean... it really was a very nice feeling.

But of course, when I got home, forced him to stay the night so he wouldn't catch a cold/get struck by lightening, and took a shower as he sat on the couch, I knew that it was never going to happen. He was just a man who only looked out for my safety. Just a friend who didn't even bother to think about me in a different light. Just some dripping wet man who needed to get warm by a blanket, or a warm shower...

After I was out, I found some old clothes for him (an XL sweatshirt that had been a birthday gift from my cousin and some sweatpants that went with the shirt), and shoved him into the bathroom.

"You don't have to be so pushy," Hatori said, giving me a very small smile. "I'll be fine."

I just smirked and playfully punched his arm. "I just don't want you getting the flu." He nodded, then was about to head inside. He would have, mind you, if I hadn't been so god damn stupid. "Hatori-kun..." I tugged at his sleeve and he stopped, looking back at me. "Umm... I just wanted to say thanks... for... always being a good friend... and for finding me in the rain... and... stuff..."

Why did I even bother to do that? Was I stupid?

Nevermind. Don't answer that question.

But, thankfully, Hatori smiled. Hatori SMILED! A full-out, toothy grin. It was probably the most shocking/gorgeous thing I had ever seen him do. It was so kind and gentle. I almost couldn't breathe. I mean... I had seen that smile only once or twice... when he was dating Kana. So why was he giving me that smile again? I didn't know, and I kind of didn't care. I could only think about one thing: That smile was directed towards me.

"It's ok, Mayuko-chan," he said. Softly, his hand moved from his side to brush a stray strand of hair from my face. Then, I REALLY couldn't breathe. "That's what friends do, right?"

I swallowed harshly and managed to nod. "Mmhmm." I caughed. "Friends until the end."

He nodded and went into the bathroom. I went on my dreamland kind of way and sat down on the couch. I watched a bunch of stuff on TV, but I wasn't even paying attention. I really wasn't. All I could see was his face, smiling... at _me_.

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Hatori had gone in and out of the shower reasonably quick, so it became just the two of us watching stupid TV shows. We chatted over the weather, and the books that Shiguire had ordered, and some other random things. It soon ended up as Hatori sitting on the love seat, me on the couch. Hatori didn't look so great whenever I would glance over at him. His shoulders were slumped and he was only supported by his arms pressing against his knees. 

"You're going to fall asleep any minute," I told him with a smirk. He just sighed and shook his head, not paying attention to me. He had been all spacey ever since he exited from the bathroom. I was growing concerned. "Why don't you lie down, and we'll call it a night?"

He nodded, but didn't move. I stood, stretched, yawned, and walked down the hall to the closet. As I was reaching to the top shelf to get Hatori a blanket, he called out to me.

"Hey, Mayuko-chan..." he said groggily.

"What's up?" I asked, having successfully retrieving the blanket. I headed back to him.

"Can I ask you something?" he asked as I stood in front of him.

"Sure," I said, handing him the blanket. Now, that was the point where I expected him to take the blanket, lie down, and ask me the question. I did NOT, however, expect him to do what he did.

Ignoring the blanket completely, Hatori grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him. I stumbled and felt the blanket slip from my grasp. I let out a yelp, but felt myself land safely...

In his lap.

My temperature must have increased drastically. "H-H-Hatori-kun?"

His one hand was still clutching my wrist, and he was looking straight into my eyes. I gulped. His other hand was now holding onto my shoulder. "If I... was a monster... would you... still accept me?"


	13. Revelations

**A/N:** O.O AHHH! I didn't know you guys liked this story that much. I mean... Wow. I just... wow. I really didn't think that you guys would like it this much. Hm. Well... enjoy!

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Chapter 14 

Ok... so I was sitting on Hatori's lap, shocked as hell, and trying _not_ to pee my pants. I mean... I was _STRADDLING_ him! And then he just asks me some random, hypothetical question? HE CAN'T DO THAT! He can't just pull me into a straddling position, ask me a question like THAT, and expect me to give a response!

"H-Hatori-kun, w-what are you s-saying?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"Please..." he said, giving me a look I've never seen before. "I just need to know."

I swallowed hard and coughed. "I-i-if you w-were a m-monster..." I tried to control myself and took a deep breath. "I-I would think that you were over r-reacting... b-because a monster could never b-be as k-kind as you are... B-but... if you were a m-monster... I'd still l-" I stopped talking, shook myself awake, and kept going. "I'd s-still be your friend..."

Hatori was just looking at me, and vice versa. That was practically the only thing we did for the next five minutes. I had NO idea what to do because, well... once again, _**I WAS STRADDLING HIM**_! I could feel my body temperature rise too high for me to handle, and I tried getting up. Now, the problem with that was Hatori pulling me back towards him. He then proceeded into pulling me into a hug.

No lie. A hug.

I just felt his arms wrap around me, and then nothing. I was shocked, and I thought to myself that maybe this was all just a dream. Then I felt myself fall onto the floor and probably break my ass bone. I swore loudly, then noticed the cloud of smoke/dust/something of that sort around the love seat. I instantly got up to my knees and searched through the mess for Hatori.

"Hatori-kun?" I asked, dazed. "Hatori-kun?" I saw his shirt... lying on the cushion... without him in it. My mouth dropped open and I slowly picked up the shirt.

There, sitting upon Hatori-kun's pants, was a tiny seahorse. My reaction:

1. WHAT. THE. HELL!

2. I'm pretty sure that my scream could be heard accross the pacific.

"HATORI-KUN?" I asked the seahorse incredulously. When he didn't respond, it hit me that a seahorse needed water to survive. "AHHHHHH!" I scooped up the seahorse, ran into the bathroom, drew some water in the tub and placed it... er, _Hatori_ in the water.

"Don't you die on me, Hatori-kun!" This was crazy. I was yelling at a seahorse for Christ's sake. "Don't you dare die on me!"

The tub was half full, and I stopped the water. The seahorse, that was supposedly Hatori as well, was swimming around and breathing, thank god. I watched it go around and around my tub, my heart racing. I tried deep breathing methods, and, for some cosmic reason, I felt like crying. As soon as the tears sprang to my eyes, though, I wiped them away.

"This... this is really you, isn't it, Hatori-kun?" I asked, my voice changing. I sniffed and tried not to let the fact that I was nearly crying show.

POOF!

"Yes... this is really me," Hatori said. He was so quiet that the sentance was almost inaudible. By the time the smoke/dust cleared, I was coughing, a few tears streaming down my face. I looked at him, the man I loved, and... well, this is hard to explain. I just felt... completely indifferent. I mean... the fact that I had JUST seen him turn into a seahorse was startling, but it made a lot of sense why he never hugged Kana.

"What was that?" I asked, not really sure how to phrase the question.

"The curse of the Sohma family," Hatori responded truthfully. "All members of my family are born in a certain year of the zodiac, and when hugged by the opposite sex, we turn into that animal. I was born in the year of the dragon."

"But you were a seahorse," I blurted out. He nodded, and I realized that I wasn't too great in tough situations like this. My head felt too light to think. "Umm..."

"We're not supposed to tell outsiders," Hatori explained, a sad look clouding his gaze. "We've only let one person in on the secret, and that was Tohru-chan." He sighed. "Well... I made the mistake of telling Kana and..." His voice trailed off, and I remembered how my friend, my BEST friend had ended up. His happiness was broken, and her memory erased.

"Are you going to suppress my memory?" I asked quietly. He stared at me, and I waved it away. "That was the only thing I got out of Shiguire. How you suppress others memories..." I fell silent, praying.

Hatori paused, not taking his eyes off of me. You know, he hadn't been taking his eyes off of me for this entire conversation. "... I sincerely hope I won't have to."

To try to explain what was going on inside of me would be impossible. I was _sad_, for Hatori's situation. I was _happy_ that he trusted me. I was _hurt_ for him, and I shared his pain. I felt _guilty_ for loving him so much. I now knew why he hesitated to tell me, and why his happiness was broken, and why he never got too close to Kana. I was _worried_, both for myself and for Hatori. I didn't want my memory to get erased, and I didn't want Hatori to get in trouble...

And I was embarassed as all hell because (have I mentioned yet?) he was completely naked.

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**A/N:** HAHA! (clears throat) Ahem... anyway... the next chapter is the last, so... stay tuned(?) 


	14. Agreements & An Epilogue

Chapter 15

I sat on the top of my island counter (which was in the kitchen). A few tears had found their way down my face, but I had just let them fall. Hatori was in the bathroom, dressing himself, and he couldn't see me cry anyway. When I heard the door open, however, I quickly wiped my cheeks. I heard him walking into the kitchen, and I pretended to busy myself with my hair.

"All dressed?" I asked, my voice sqeaking. I let my hair out of its tight ponytail, running my hand through it as if it were a brush. When he didn't respond, I turned to look at him. I blushed when he was looking right back at me. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. He made his way over to me. "Listen, Mayuko-chan... I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked. He was now standing in front of me as I played with the strands of my hair.

"For telling you... like this," Hatori replied. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I suppose it wasn't the greatest way to tell you, but... for me, it just couldn't wait."

I paused, trying to say something in a way that would tell him that it was alright. "I'm glad that you told me." I looked down at my long hair, then decided that this was something I needed to tell him while looking in his eyes. So I did. "I'm happy that I met you, and I'm more than happy to be considered your friend. It's more than I deserve. The fact that you told me your deepest, darkest secret makes me wonder what I did to make you trust me so much. But, still... Thank you for telling me. I'll keep your secret... and I won't ever regret meeting you." I could have said something else, but honestly, I could think of nothing.

"Are you going to be alright?" Hatori asked me hesitantly

I blinked. "You're the one with the curse. Are _you_ going to be alright?"

He let a smile break through, and had to look away form me. He ran a hand through his hair. "To be quite truthfull, I don't know." That was when I stopped trying to put my hair back into its ponytail. Before I could ask, he sighed, looking troubled. "I... don't know if I'm going to lose you..."

This made my stomach drop. "W-what do you mean?"

Hatori looked into my eyes. "I have to tell the head of the family about you finding out. Aktio... tends to be a cruel person..." It was then that I caught sight of his eye. The one that Kana wanted to protect, and the one that Hatori could barely see out of.

"Yeah... I've noticed," I mumbled. Unconciously, my hand moved to softly touch the skin near the hurt eye. Hatori just gave me that smile again. That god damn smile that was always Kana's, but he would give it to me for some cosmic reason. He took my hand in his, softly playing with my fingers. For a second, I couldn't move. I tried to look away from his gaze, but he just cupped my face with his free hand.

I felt my face burn. Why wouldn't he stop staring at me? This was getting insanely uncomfortable.

"I don't mean to make you feel awkward," he told me, a strange look in his eyes. "But I wanted to thank you for being so kind to me."

I couldn't even breathe. "W-well... you're welcome." I really should have thought about the next question before I asked it. "Hey... the weatherman says its supposed to be great tomorrow. Want to have lunch or something?"

Hatori just wouldn't wipe that stupid smile off his face. "Yes. I was actually hopingthat you would make an agreement with me to meet and have lunch on days when the weather is nice anyway."

I threw back my head and laughed a bit, feeling the best that I had in a long, long time. Hatori looked confused.

"Alright," I agreed. "I'll have lunch with you on days when the weather is nice... on one condition." He raised an eyebrow. I suddenly became a little more hesitant to ask the question. "... Can you... start calling me 'Mayu' again?"

Hatori's smile grew, and I saw a distantly familiar spark in his eyes that I hadn't seen since Kana's time. He nodded, stepping back so I could slide off of the counter. Both of our hands were to ourselves now, and, although it was nice having his play with my fingers, it was also nice to just be as we were. Right then, at that moment in time. Contently shaking hands.

"Deal," he said.

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Epilogue

Even though that day was one of the most memorable, I have to admit that it wasn't my favorite. It was ONE of my favorites, but not my favorite.

My personal favorite was the day the curse was broken. Hatori came running into the book shop, breathless, only to scoop me up into a hug, twirl me around in circles, and set me down. He told me everything. About Aktio's strange, but wonderful turn-around. About the meeting where all the animals, including the cat, were gathered and told the news. About the different members and how they were rejoicing (AKA: Tohru and Kyo, Yuki and Machi, Kureno and Arisa...).

Then he kissed me.

But that's not the point.

I can't really say that Hatori and I lived 'happily ever after', because happily ever after hasn't happened yet. Sure, I cut my hair, he began calling me Mayu again, and we would go out on days when the weather was nice, but that doesn't mean that it's a happily ever after. It's just a life being happily lived. Happily ever after won't come for a long, long time.

And you know something? I'm ok with that. All I can do for now is keep living my life as I do. Day by day.

**THE END**

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**A/N:** I just want to thank all of you guys who read and/or reviewed this story. It's not a lot, to say for me, but it's enough to make me happy. I never expected this story to be so popular to those who read it, and... yeah, I just wanted to thank you doing so. I sincerely hope that you have enjoyed _Day by Day._


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